POP by Aury Wallington-REVIEW

Marit can't hold onto a boyfriend. Every time the relationship gets physical she freaks out and either scares the boy away or breaks up with him herself. She is afraid of having sex for the first time and obsesses about it. Besides the "no boyfriend" problem on the first day of school, she also has to deal with the fact that her schedule is terrible. I mean, who should have second period lunch? Eating lunch at 9:00 a.m. should definitely be against the law! So far the only bright spots in her day are her constant friends Jamie and Caroline. Basically inseparable, these three spend their day mocking the "followers" and "joiners" of the school.

Marit has accepted a senior year without a boyfriend until a new boy walks into her German class and steals her heart. She just knows that Noah will be her boyfriend for the year. She makes a bold move and invites him to a school bonfire. Noah accepts and Marit is hopeful it will be a successful date. Once at the bonfire, the couple realizes they can't talk with all the noise and finds a quiet spot to be alone. Eventually they begin to kiss and Marit's nerves cause her to do something to embarrass herself and ends up running away from the situation instead of talking to Noah about it.

Determined to fix her problem, she goes to her older sister for advice. Hilly tells Marit she needs to find someone she already knows and feels comfortable with to have sex with for the first time. Once she has done "it," she won't be so nervous about it. The perfect candidate is Jamie; her loyal friend of eight years. At first Jamie doesn't think it is a very good idea, but soon changes his mind.

Aury Wallington writes a realistic story that involves typical high school drama while at the same time creating characters that are likable. Even though sex is the main focus of Marit's life, she remains a character that the readers will root for in the end. The author also buries a lesson in the pages of the story; one that we can never hear enough. Friendship is more important than anything else. POP! is an enjoyable read, even though the ending is a little too convenient and quickly resolved.